Because I'm Supergirl
by astradanvers
Summary: Cat wants their relationship to be strictly professional, except it's not, it never has been and Kara doesn't think it ever could be.


**A/N: This spanned from my desire to hear Kara scream "Because I'm Supergirl" in the middle of Cat's office when Cat was listing all the things Kara was and why she wanted their relationship to remain strictly professional. Yeah, so here ya go.**

Kara stands in front of Cat's desk, her boss, the woman she's grown so much closer to, especially since she first became Supergirl, has just told her they can't be whatever they are anymore. That's so far beyond not okay. "If that's what you want." She turns away from Cat, preparing to go home, to drown in whatever this is she's feeling. In the span of two days, Kara has given up Adam, she's come so close to losing her sister, there's been someone out there trying to destroy Supergirl, and now, she shakes her head.

"That's not acceptable," she finally says, turning back to face Cat.

Cat looks up at Kara, "I'm sorry."

Moving back towards Cat once more Kara places her hands on the back of the visitor chair, "You stepping back, stepping away from me, that's not acceptable."

"Who are you to say what's acceptable, Kiera?"

The younger woman's grip on the back of the chair before her tightens, "You said to build a life I need to put other people first. By stepping away from them, away from everyone I would be putting people first. I nearly lost my sister yesterday and again today, James was kidnapped, I broke up with Adam because I wanted to protect him, my foster mother's life was threatened, and someone tried to destroy Supergirl. Two days, Ms. Grant, it took two days to nearly destroy my whole life. I'm not going to let you take away the sanctuary I've found in these walls too. I should willingly give it up, allow this place as much protection as I can afford it," she looks away, "but I wouldn't be able to handle it."

Tapping her glasses against her lips Cat watches Kara, "What does Supergirl have to do with you?"

"Of all the things I just listed that's the one you latch onto," Kara throws her hands up in exasperation, "not the fact that your son could have, could still be in danger, that you and your empire could be, no it's your super story."

"This has nothing to do with a story, Kiera," Cat says, hands landing on her desk as she pushes herself up. "Why does Supergirl's reputation mean so much to you? Why would Adam need protecting because he was dating you? How do you know James was kidnapped today? Why did you nearly lose your sister? How was -"

"BECAUSE I'M SUPERGIRL!" Kara screams, so loud that she's glad the work day is over and that they're located twenty stories in the air. "I'm Supergirl. I proved to you I wasn't to keep my job. So that I could continue working for CatCo because it's the only place I feel normal. Here with you, in this office, that's where I feel normal. Bizarro almost took that away, apparently she's still going to." She shakes her head, "I'll go," she says, turning to walk away, "I'll pack my things up in the morning, your coffee will be waiting for you."

She's almost to the door when Cat's voice stops her, "Kara," the sound of her name causes Kara to stop but she still doesn't turn, "who threatened your mother?"

Kara releases a breath, one bit of information past her identity can't drive too many more nails in her coffin. She closes her eyes, "Maxwell Lord. He created Bizarro. It took seven tries."

She's not expecting the hand that grasps her wrist, that tugs gently, turning her to face the woman that's made her way silently across the office, "Kara," Cat says quietly.

There are tears in her eyes but she won't hide them and she doesn't try to stop them, "Six women died because Maxwell Lord wanted to destroy me, a seventh is barely a shell of herself, her DNA is mostly mine. My life is crumbling around me," she reaches up with her free hand, barely noticing that Cat has taken her other hand fully and interlaced their fingers together, so that she can wipe her tears away. "Please don't make me give this up," she pleads, "please."

She's taken by surprise again when Cat pulls her closer, towards the couch and settles them both onto the white leather, her arm circling Kara's shoulder, "You're not giving this up," Cat promises, "neither of us are."

Kara nods against Cat's shoulder, tries to control her tears, "I'm sorry I hurt Adam."

Gently fingers loosen the bun at the back of her head, until they're able to thread through her blonde curls, "He'll be okay," she promises, "and so will you, Kara." Long fingers continue to thread through blonde curls, "The two of you had two very broken dates, Kara, did you really think it was love."

"It never would have been," Kara says quietly, admitting a truth she's even tried to deny until the last moment. "I never could have loved him the way he deserved. No one deserves to be in a relationship with someone who loves someone else."

"Why even date him then?"

"Because he looked at me like I was just Kara and no one, not James, not Winn, not my sister, not even you have looked at me like I was only Kara in a very long time. It was nice," she shrugs, "but it was also a lie. He could have loved Kara the assistant, I'm not sure he could have loved Kara the hero, could have loved Supergirl. And I would never have wanted him to live in the shadow that would hang over his head, I wanted to try and be normal, to try and find love with someone who could feel anything for me but it seems that was not to be."

"Anyone would be lucky to have your love, Kara, anyone."

Pulling back a little Kara meets Cat's eyes, "Even you?" she whispers, tonight seems to be a night of secrets, she might as well go all in.

"Especially me," Cat replies, hand circling from the back of Kara's head to rest against her cheek, brushing away the few tears that linger there. "Most especially me."

Leaning forward Kara presses her lips to Cat's before she can think to stop herself. The kiss is like nothing she's ever experienced, she'd like to say she's not comparing it to kissing Adam but she'd be lying. Her kiss with Adam had been the best she'd ever had, until this moment. She pulls Cat closer to her, drawing their bodies impossibly closer. When she pulls away from Cat's lips, Kara presses her forehead to that of the older woman, "Should we really be doing this?"

"Probably not," Cat says, "for all of the reasons you listed earlier, the least of which is your few dates with Adam, and for all the reasons neither of us wish to mention in regards to your job." She tilts her head a bit, pressing a short kiss to Kara's lips once more, "I don't care."

"This isn't putting other people first in order to build a life for myself," Kara says with a smirk.

Cat shakes her head, "No, this is stepping out of your own way to build a life for yourself, that falls into one of those lessons I've learned too." Kara moves back into Cat's embrace, surprising the older woman slightly when she slides down the couch, resting her head in Cat's lap, one of the older woman's arms drawn over her waist so that their fingers can tangle together and the other moving of its own accord back to Kara's hair. "Bizarro rattled you," she says simply. "Not just Lord but Bizarro herself."

"She was so lost," Kara says quietly, speaking to the empty space before her as much as the woman who is for all intents and purposes holding her, "I've been her. When my parents put me in that pod and sent me off from my planet, I was lost. Not just because I ended up in the Phantom Zone, but because I had to learn to live without them, to live without my family. That girl, that girl he turned into me, or more specifically a mirror of me, she was lost too. Except someone stole her, she wasn't lost so that she'd remain safe, she was lost because someone decided to play god."

"Where is she now?"

"Being looked after by some friends of mine," Kara promises, "they're going to do everything they can to help her, to bring her back. I have hope that they'll succeed."

"And you?" Cat questions quietly, her hand stilling in Kara's hair.

"I'll survive," Kara says just as quietly, "just as I always have and I always will. I was destined to survive and that is the way things will remain."

"There's more to life, Kara, than just survival."

"Not for me," the younger woman says, "tomorrow I'll get up and I'll survive the day all over again. Maybe I'll face off with some evil alien or remake of a Disney monster but I'll survive because I'm supposed to. I'm not made to break, Cat," she whispers, "that won't change just because some nerd with a god complex made a replica of me."

"That nerd with a god complex knows who you are, Kara, he knows your friends, your family. You can't protect the world, Kara, no one can."

"He won't get near them. He won't get near my friends or my family, you and Carter, my foster mom, the supersquad," she shakes her head, "he's never going to be able to get near them. Maxwell Lord has mysteriously disappeared from the face of the Earth, he will NEVER be heard from again."

"Supersquad?"

Kara knows Cat is trying to draw her away from the emotion laden conversation that will likely be explored later, that she'll have to answer for later, for now she lets the older woman steer her away. "James, Winn," she shrugs, "I'm pretty sure Lucy knows, she is Lois' sister."

"What does Lois Lane have to do with you being Supergirl?"

"Nothing," Kara says too quickly.

Kara can already see the wheels turning in Cat's head and she sees the glint in her eyes the moment she realizes exactly what Kara has said but hasn't said, "Oh well that is interesting."

"You can't -"

"I won't," Cat promises instantly, "I'm not going to out either of you, Kara." She looks away from the younger woman, "I care too much about you to hurt you that way."

Turning so that she can see Cat fully, looking up at the older woman, Kara reaches up to gently cup Cat's cheek, drawing Cat's gaze to her, "I care too much about you too."

Kara leans up at the same time Cat leans down and their lips meet in a much more intense kiss. Cat grins up at the younger woman, "Take me home?"

Kara knows it's a question and she knows there's more to the question than the face value of it, "But if I stay," Cat looks away but Kara turns her back, "if you want me to, you have to agree to let me leave and come back as Kara. I can live with dating my boss, I can't live with people believing that you're only dating Supergirl."

Grinning Cat leans in to kiss Kara again, "As far as that's concerned I could call the car now, we could return to my home together, no need for you to leave and then return. I want you to stay, Kara, not Supergirl you, not my assistant you, I want Kara to stay."

"I shouldn't," Kara says, "we shouldn't, you must know that because this," she motions between, "could put you in danger."

"This," Cat say even while leaning in for another kiss, "could put me in danger any day of the week." She grins, "Now take me home."

The smug smile that crawls across Kara's features can't be helped, "The car is already waiting," she says simply. She rises from her spot on the couch, extends a hand to Cat and then pulls the other woman up and into her arms, "I'm sorry I tried to ignore this by dating Adam."

Cat chuckles, "He knew, Kara, so did I after he described the portion of the dates you had." Kara tilts her head, "You spent all of the time the two of you ventured out talking about me."

"Why wouldn't I talk about the prettiest woman I know?" Kara questions after the pink hue has subsided from her cheeks.

This time it's Cat's cheeks that tinge pink and she closes the distance between them once more, "Take me home, Kara," she looks the younger woman up and down, "we have much to _talk_ about." The way Cat says talk has Kara questioning if any talking at all will occur.

She's oddly okay with the thought that it won't, "Of course, Ms. Grant," she feels the woman in her arms shutter. She hums against Cat's hair as she presses a kiss to her temple, "Let's get you home." She allows herself to be led to Cat's private elevator and can't help but smile when she's pulled inside with the smaller woman.


End file.
